This invention relates to a technique for providing an ink-jet recording apparatus that can be composed of fewer number of parts and easily controlled.
Heretofore, an ink-jet recording apparatus is known to include a stationary ink supply system. That is, this type of ink-jet recording apparatus is provided with a carriage with a recording head and an ink tank mounted thereon, and a main tank storing ink supplied to the ink tank. The recording head ejects ink from an injection nozzle to perform recording onto a recording media, and the ink tank stores ink supplied to the recording head. When the ink in the ink tank is decreased, ink in the main tank is supplied to a sub-tank (ink tank).
Among the aforementioned ink-jet recording apparatus, there is one which is designed to supply ink from the main tank by reducing pressure inside the ink tank mounted on the carriage. Particularly, such an ink-jet recording apparatus includes a recording head carriage (hereinafter, referred to as a carriage) with a recording head and a sub-ink tank for storing ink supplied to the recording head mounted thereon, a main tank for storing ink supplied to the ink tank, and an ink refiller. Among the aforementioned components, the sub-ink tank mounted on the carriage includes a refill port for receiving an ink refill from the main tank, an exhaust port for discharging air inside the sub-ink tank, and an air communication hole for communicating the inside of the sub-ink tank with the atmosphere. On the other hand, the ink refiller includes a refill port for supplying ink stored in the main tank to the sub-ink tank when connected to the refill port of the sub-ink tank, an exhaust port for connecting to the exhaust port of the sub-ink tank, a pump unit that reduces pressure inside the sub-ink tank through the exhaust port, and a cap that seals the air communication hole of the sub-ink tank when the cap abuts the air communication hole. The ink refiller is designed capable of changing its relative position to the carriage by a moving mechanism. When ink is supplied from the main tank to the sub-ink tank, the ink refiller is moved toward the carriage by the moving mechanism so that the refill port of the sub-ink tank is connected to the refill port of the ink refiller and the exhaust port of the sub-ink tank is connected to the exhaust port of the ink refiller. Also, the air communication hole of the sub-ink tank is sealed by the cap of the ink refiller. When the pump unit of the ink refiller reduces pressure inside the sub-ink tank through the exhaust ports of the ink refiller and of the sub-ink tank, since the air communication hole of the sub-ink tank is sealed by the cap of the ink refiller, the ink stored in the sub-ink tank is supplied into the sub-ink tank through the refill ports of the ink refiller and of the sub-ink tank.